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He looked at me. “I see that.” He frowned. “You’re Hunter Raven, are you not?”
I quirked a brow at his formal language. “Who wants to know?” I turned to Grace. “I thought sessions were confidential.”
She looked at me, and I hated the despair I saw there. Who was this fucker? “This is Stuart Brown. He’s investigating me.”
Oh shit. I liked to think the Rookery’s offices were all soundproof, but I was pretty sure Mr. Brown knew exactly what Grace and I were doing, and it wasn’t therapy.
Mr. Brown pulled out an envelope from his pocket. “I wanted to deliver this to you in person.”
She took the envelope and opened it.
“I was going to say that I didn’t think you had anything to worry about, but under the circumstances now—”
“What does that mean?” I stepped closer to him, not liking his tone.
“This is my hearing date,” Grace said.
“I’m not her client.” I had to salvage this somehow. “And you if you say otherwise, I’ll ruin you.”
I saw the flash of fear in his eyes, but then he stepped back, and I had a sense that he was going to use my words against Grace. Fuck, I was making it worse.
“Ms. Reynolds will have a chance to defend herself at the hearing,” Mr. Brown said.
I stared at him. “You enjoy this?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Hunter, please,” Grace said to me. Then to him: “I’ll be there.”
I ignored her. “Do you enjoy fucking with people’s livelihoods?”
“I don’t do that. I uphold the ethics of the profession. If someone loses their livelihood, it’s because they acted unethically.”
“Since when is love unethical?”
Grace’s breath hitched behind me. This wasn’t the way to tell her how I felt, but I wasn’t going to let this weasel turn what we had into something sordid.
He stared at me for a moment, and then looked over at Grace. “We’ll see you Thursday.”
She nodded. “I’ll be there.”
He walked out the door. The urge to kick his ass was very high. Instead, I slammed her door behind him. I took a breath, knowing that this wasn’t about me. This was about Grace and her work. Steadying myself, I turned, ready to support her.
She stood, looking lost.
“It’s okay, baby,” I pulled her to me, feeling glad when she didn’t pull away.
“What will I do?” Her voice was flat. Like she’d given up.
I pulled back and cradled her face in my palms. “You’ll fight. I’ll fight with you. I told you before, we’ll weather this together.”
She pursed her lips and gave me a look that suggested I was nuts. I supposed she was right. Instead of helping, I was pretty sure I’d made it worse.
“Tell me what you need me to do,” I said feeling completely impotent. There had to be something I could do. I was Hunter-Fucking-Raven. My family had powerful friends and allies. While I wasn’t one to go asking for favors like a mafia boss, I’d do whatever it took to make Grace’s problems disappear.
“There’s nothing to do. I’ll go the hearing, see what they say, and accept the consequences.”
I frowned. “Just like that? You need to stand up for yourself like you do against me and my brothers.”
“That’s different, Hunter.” She pulled away and went to her desk. It felt like she was pulling away from me.
“Let me help. My father has many friends in the city, maybe one can intervene.”
“No!” She rubbed her temples. “No, thank you. I just need to prepare a statement and hope they believe me. I wish I knew who reported me.”
I did too. Immediately, my thoughts went to Yvonne. A woman who would tell Grace I was cheating, could also be a woman to report her. She was also in a position to know I’d been forced into counseling. Nothing happened at the Rookery that didn’t get gossiped about.
I might not be able to do anything about Mr. Fucker Brown from the licensing board, but I sure as hell could do something about Yvonne.
“I’m going to find out, Grace. I promise.” I walked over to her side of the desk and squatted down so I could be at her level. “Tell me this doesn’t hurt us.” It was selfish of me to be worried about our relationship considering she was on the verge of losing her career, but I needed to know she was still with me.
She gave me a wan smile. “I think it’s clear that I can’t avoid you.”
On the one hand, it sounded like she was still with me. On the other hand, it sounded more like she was stuck with me, not that she wanted me.
I kissed her on the forehead. “It will all work out, Grace. You’ll see.”
She sighed. “I know the city, maybe even the world, caters to you and your family, but some things even a Raven can’t fix or rig.”
